MEMBERSHIP IN THE LOUISIANA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1812 - 2016 Revised – April 8, 2013 David R. Poynter Legislative Research Library Louisiana House of Representatives 1 2 PREFACE This publication is a result of research largely drawn from Journals of the Louisiana House of Representatives and Annual Reports of the Louisiana Secretary of State. Other information was obtained from the book, A Look at Louisiana's First Century: 1804-1903, by Leroy Willie, and used with the author's permission. Early research reveals that the term county is interchanged with parish in many sources until 1815. In 1805 the Territory of Orleans was divided into counties. By 1807 an act was passed that divided the Orleans Territory into parishes as well. The counties were not abolished by the act. Both terms were used at the same time until 1845, when a new constitution was adopted and the term "parish" was used as the official political subdivision. The legislature was elected every two years until 1880, when a sitting legislature was elected every four years thereafter. (See the chart near the end of this document.) The War of 1812 started in June of 1812 and continued until a peace treaty in December of 1814. No legislature met in 1813. The historic Battle of New Orleans was fought in January of 1815, preventing a legislature from meeting in that year as well. During the Civil War there were two elected legislatures meeting simultaneously. (See the chart near the end of this document.) In 1877 the Republican and Democratic parties convened two separate legislatures in New Orleans. The Republican legislature lost strength as a result of President Ulysses S. Grant refusing to send military forces to support the Republican legislature. In disappointment, many Republicans either changed party or simply decided to attend the Democratic legislature. Newly inaugurated president, Rutherford B. Hayes, withdrew all federal troops from Louisiana in April of 1877. This was the beginning of the end of the Reconstruction Era in Louisiana. Membership lists for 1877 are based on the Journal for the 1877 Extraordinary Session. Information for the Regular Session is not available. Either the Journal was not published for that legislative session, or it has become a rare publication that cannot be found. Members of the Orleans Parish delegation are listed by district number as well as political party from 1884 to the present. District numbers for East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, and Lafayette Parishes are listed beginning 2012. 3 This is a work in progress. As more information is found it is entered or corrected. Journals list the election and oath of office taken by legislators on the first day of a legislative session, in most cases. However, one must read the entire Journal proceedings for each session to learn of the death, resignation, election challenges, and unseating of members. This has not yet been done for all the years listed. The period from 1861 (Civil War) until 1880 (through Reconstruction) is especially difficult to research since there were Journals listing delegates, with no parish or party designation. During the Civil War, there were two legislatures meeting simultaneously, with few records documenting the Confederate legislature, which met in north Louisiana. Additional information from the Louisiana public on the legislative membership is encouraged and invited by writing to: Library Director David R. Poynter Legislative Research Library P.O. Box 94012 Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9012 4 Abbreviations Used in This Publication: E.S. Extraordinary Session R.S. Regular Session D Democrat R Republican I Independent Ind Dem Independent Democrat Pop Populist Pro Progressive Symbols Used in This Publication: * African-American descent ! Women *! Women of African-American descent 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Membership by the Parishes of Louisiana: Acadia German Coast St. Bernard Allen Grant St. Charles Ascension Iberia St. Helena Assumption Iberville St. James Attakapas Jackson St. John the Baptist Avoyelles Jefferson St. Landry Beauregard Jefferson Davis St. Martin Bienville Lafayette St. Mary Bossier Lafourche St. Tammany Caddo LaSalle Tangipahoa Calcasieu Lincoln Tensas Caldwell Livingston Terrebonne Cameron Madison Union Catahoula Morehouse Vermilion Claiborne Natchitoches Vernon Concordia Orleans Washington DeSoto Ouachita Webster East Baton Rouge Plaquemines West Baton Rouge East Carroll Pointe Coupee West Carroll East Feliciana Rapides West Feliciana Evangeline Red River Winn Feliciana Richland Franklin Sabine II. House Speakers III. House Speakers Pro Tempore IV. House Clerks V. Sergeant-at-Arms VI. Number of Legislatures Elected: 1812 - Present VII. Pre-Civil War & Civil War Era Legislators VIII. Bibliography IX. Newspaper Sources on Microfilm 6 7 ACADIA1 1812 Stephen A. Hopkins ........................ Unknown Geneset Roussin ........................... Unknown 1813 War of 1812; no legislature meeting 1814 Lewis Fortia - 2nd session . Unknown Guerin (unknown first name) - 2nd session . Unknown Stephen A. Hopkins - 3rd session . Unknown 1815 Battle of New Orleans; no legislature meeting 1816-1818 Guerin (unknown first name) - 1st & 2nd sessions . Unknown Landry (unknown first name) - 1st & 2nd sessions . Unknown 1818-1819 David A. Randall .......................... Unknown 1819-1820 David A. Randall .......................... Unknown Roman Bienvenu .......................... Unknown 1820-1822 (needs more research) 1823 Steven A. Hopkins ......................... Unknown 1824-1856 (needs more research) 1857-1863 (See section VII. Pre-Civil War & Civil War Era Legislators) 1864-1887 (needs more research) 1888-1892 Joseph D. Bernard.................................D 1892-1896 John W. Young ...................................D 1896-1900 John W. Young ................................. Pop 1900-1904 Philip S. Pugh ....................................D 1904-1908 H. W. Carver (resigned 1905) . D E. O. Bruner (vice Carver, 1906) . D W. M. Egan......................................D 1 One of the first counties created from Orleans Territory in 1807. Created as a parish from St. Landry Parish by Act 39 of 1886. 8 1908-1912 E. O. Bruner .....................................D William A. McClelland ............................D 1912-1916 Edward Daigle ...................................D William A. McClelland ............................D 1916-1920 L. B. DeBellevue .................................D W. J. Zaunbrecher.................................D 1920-1924 Claude L. Chappuis ...............................D William A. McClelland ............................D 1924-1928 Howard E. Bruner.................................D C. A. Smith ......................................D 1928-1932 R. D. Daboval (deceased 1929) . D Dr. John D. Hunter (vice Daboval, 1930) . D N. S. Hoffpauir ...................................D 1932-1936 N. S. Hoffpauir ...................................D Dr. John D. Hunter ................................D 1936-1940 N. S. Hoffpauir ...................................D Dr. John D. Hunter (deceased 1936, not replaced) . D 1940-1944 Angelos Chaisson .................................D N. C. Petitjean....................................D 1944-1948 Angelos Chaisson .................................D W. J. "Bill" Cleveland .............................D 1948-1952 W. J. "Bill" Cleveland .............................D C. E. Whipp .....................................D 9 1952-1956 W. J. Cleveland...................................D C. E. Whipp (deceased 1953) ........................D E. C. Fremaux (vice Whipp, 1953) . D 1956-1960 E. C. Fremaux....................................D Bernard Regan ...................................D 1960-1964 W. P. Arceneaux..................................D Jerry S. Ashley ...................................D 1964-1968 Allen C. Gremillion ...............................D 1968-1972 J. B. Broussard ...................................D Allen C. Gremillion ...............................D Warren J. Simon ..................................D 1972-1976 Louis Dischler, Jr..................................D John N. John, III ..................................D 1976-1980 Louis Dischler, Jr..................................D John N. John, III ..................................D 1980-1984 Louis Dischler, Jr. (deceased 1983) . D John N. John, III (deceased 1983) . D Dale Sittig (vice Dischler, 1983) . D Donald J. Thibodeaux (vice John, 1983) . D 1984-1988 Dale Sittig .......................................D Donald J. Thibodeaux..............................D 1988-1992 Chris John .......................................D Dale Sittig .......................................D 10 1992-1996 Chris John .......................................D Dale Sittig....................................... D Gerald Theunissen ................................ D 1996-2000 Gregory L. Fruge ................................. R Gil Pinac ........................................D Gerald Theunissen (resigned 1996; elected state senator) . D Dan W. Morrish (vice Theunissen, 1996) . D 2000-2004 Gregory L. Fruge ................................. R Dan W. Morrish .................................. D Gil Pinac........................................ D 2004-2008 Mickey James Guillory ............................ D Gil Pinac........................................ D 2008-2012 Mickey James Guillory ............................ D Jack Montoucet .................................. D 2012-2016 Mickey James Guillory ............................ D Jack Montoucet .................................